Frozen Life
by faithfullyAna
Summary: Everything starts on December 18th, Rachel's Birthday, when Brody Weston takes his late father's gun to school. AU Finchel. HEA.


******Glee is not mine. **

******Finchel HEA is promised. **

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_**Prologue**_

December 18th 2013

Everything was quiet in the house; only light breathing of its tenants interrupted the silence.

Following a busy day in school, the Hudson children went to sleep right after dinner. Before heading off to bed they all said their farewells to their father because after the last decade, the Hudson family became quite familiar with his annual three day trip to the other side of the country. Sometimes his wife tried to talk him out of it. She didn't understand his desire to return to that godforsaken place, which almost took his life.

The minute arrow on the grandfather clock in the living room shifted, showing two in the morning. The moonlight broke through the slightly parted curtains, allowing a patch of light reflect on different surfaces of the room. Finn's look rushed from the arrows to the sleeping figure in his arms.

His wife, beautiful as the day he met her, fell asleep in his arms, not wanting to let him go. Years have passed since he first saw her - a slim and graceful girl with huge naive eyes, and her body put on weight after the birth of two children, but for him it was yet another reason to love it more, to love her more.

Finn could not find a more attractive view than his wife pregnant with their child. His hand was drawing soft circles on her rounded belly, trying to calm their son who was restless all night as if he felt the departure of his father. The baby began to move even before the family sat down for dinner, not allowing his mother to enjoy her meal.

But fortunately, the touch of his father helped to relax the baby and the young mother enough to let her sleep. Finn was trying to stock up pleasant memories, knowing that he would need them to survive the next three days.

The woman in his arms shivered and Finn immediately reached for a blanket on the arm of the couch. The climate in the San Fernando Valley this time of the year was still summer-like warm, and she was wearing just one of his white dress shirts, which she loved so much to sleep in and a pair of pink polka dots socks.

Finn noted to himself that in the moonlight golden tips of her hair shined silver, making her look like a night fairy. He had just straightened the blanket when she opened her eyes and smiled sleepily.

"Hey," Her voice was hoarse and quiet, "What time is it?"

"Two a.m.," Finn smiled, leaning slightly too slowly kiss her lips, enjoying the moment. Since he could remember, the taste of her was always like chocolate covered strawberries. It was hard to tear himself away from the lips of his wife. He touched their foreheads together, "I have to go to the airport."

"I know," She smiled sadly and held out her hand to gently touch his cheek. Finn automatically leaned on her touch. He closed his eyes and heavily breathed the night air, which filled the room through the open windows.

Today, she did not even try to talk him out of it, as did others.

"I love you," She whispered, before touching his lips with hers, "Come back to us."

A few hours later Finn's plane landed at Columbus Airport. By this time there was already a group of nine people gathered at the center of the arrival hall. They meet here every year. Some of them continued to see each other another time, some were married, some had been best friends, and some had relatives among the others. They all came to this spot every year, but this meeting, this day was special for each of them in different ways.

Finn paused for a moment to breathe and prepare. Meanwhile his eyes were moving between each of the nine. But the one he was looking for was not there. He knew as the others did, too, that she would not come. But this did not prevent them from waiting for her every year.

Finn headed towards his friends, who were too preoccupied with something to see his appearance. He walked quietly and looked over his best friend's wife shoulder, only to see the crumpled photo from ten years ago. It was of their whole group of friends, but only a young couple in the right corner caught his attention.

They were seventeen and in love. Their eyes were fixed only on each other, not noticing the others around, but even so you could see the fire burning in them. Burning with dreams, plans and expectations. Little did they know that just a couple of months after this picture was taken, their lives would turn around.

Someone turned the photo, and Finn saw the inscription on the inside:

_Senior class of 2003. Kurt & Rachel's Party. 05/11/02_

It was Finn's birthday party, organized by his brother and girlfriend. They had fun. They laughed. They lived. They planned. They didn't know.

They did not know that there would not be another birthday party that year. Birthday of someone he met and fell in love, lost and found in place where they were now returning.

The 18th of December in Lima wasn't a time for celebration. The 18th of December would forever remain a black day in the memory of each of them.

On December 18th they went to school, excited with thoughts of the most expected party of the Christmas time.

_They __came __out __only on the 21st __and __not all __alive__._

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**Please review and share your thoughts with me :)**

**~ Ana**


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